I need some help

Guys, I need help.

Last week, I bought some new stuff (because I was in serious need of retail therapy).  I bought new protein powder (instead of using the RTD Atkin's shakes) cause it was cheaper in the long run, and I bought those chocolate covered marshmallows.  You guys saw my menu last week: I was eating lean cuisine's for lunch (7 or 8 grams of carbs per serving) and making protein shakes out of 1/2 cup of heavy cream and 1 cup of water.  The protein powder had 5 grams of carbs for 1.5 scoops (I'm rounding up).  What's your point, Janina?  Point is this:

I gained 6 pounds last week.  Now... My calories went up over 400 a day (because of the extra heavy cream).  My carbs went up about 9 points a day (though I was STILL under 20 carbs a day).  My grams of protein went up significantly (Atkin's shakes only had 15 grams, but my new protein powder has 36 grams for 1.5 scoops).  My sugar alcohol consumption went up too because of the chocolate covered marshmallows I was eating.  My question is: which aspect is guilty and which aspect is innocent?

Calories: Although I'm low-carbing, do calories matter AT ALL when you're low carbing?  If so, the calories could have done it, or helped.

Carbs: 9 grams a day is a lot to go up - but I was still under 20 a day.  Did this do it?

Protein: Do grams of protein matter at all?  If so, that more than doubled, so maybe that helped?

Sugar Alcohol: I know this hasn't helped and I know this is guilty to some degree, but it can't be soley responsible, right?

I'm semi-back to basics this week.  No lean cuisines - I'm back to eating real food for lunch.  And I took the heavy cream out of my protein shakes, so that lowers my calories. 

I've been weighing myself everyday from Monday to today and no change in weight.  270 exactly every time.  So my changes haven't kicked in yet. 

What do you think I should do? 

I hope that even though you don't like me, you'll still read this.

1- 1/2c of heavy cream is A LOT and has some carbs. 
2-The protein powder was high in carbs (you can find 0-2g carb powders).  However it is widely believed that Atkin's "products" are higher in carbs than noted so, I don't think the carbs here were a problem except for the fact that your carbs were already toooooooo low.  But, I would wonder about the amount of protein you were getting and whether that upped either a) your muscle weight if you were intensely working out, or b) water weight .
3-if your calories were 400/day more than usual, that's 2100 calories more than you needed, but not a full pound of fat to be gained. 

Your weight increase is water weight/IMHO.

Yes, calories matter.  At 270lbs, you should be able to eat between 1500-2000 and lose weight without exercise.  However, the whole story isn't just calories, it's what's up with our bodies.  A machine only produces what it can given it's condition, KWIM?  Whether that condition for the body is thyroid, resistance, insulin reaction, etc.

I believe you've made two serious mistakes on LC...you have limited your carbs too severely for too long.  Why weren't you working the ladder per the book? and you weren't eating clean.  Lean Cuisine has HFCS, if I recall correctly.  Give your body the simplicity it needs, that means clean unprocessed food.

I'd reread the book, avoid Atkins products altogether, limit the protein powders, eat clean, and work up the ladder as Dr. Atkins advised.

Then I'd stop focusing on lbs and more on body changes. Don't get nuts as to what the scale says as it doesn't tell you the whole story.  While I have plateaued, I've continued to get smaller.  KWIM?

If that doesn't work as you wish, I'd try going on and off LC to shake things up.

Good luck (even though you and I don't get along, I mean it).

Whether we get along or not, I'd be stupid not to listen to other people's advice because any information is education.

Thanks for your help.

FWIW, most find proteins, creams, and processed foods stall them. So you're not alone in this experience.

Don't let the water weight make you feel like a failure.  You've just had a chance to see what doesn't work for you, and learn from that.  

Move forward with that knowledge.

Girl I gained 4 pounds this week so I'm not even answerin this question! Hey Jerseygirl what in the world is HFCS?? I eat lean cuisines or healthy choice cafe steamers just about every day! Is this bad??

High Fructose corn syrup.

HFCS, high fructose corn syrup.  It's "corn sugar" and while a LC might fit within a LC overall day, it can still elevate one's blood sugar, hampering weight loss.  If you research HFCS you'll see that there is plenty of evidence that as this arose (1970s) obesity skyrocketed.  Corn farmer alliances have now creative advertising campaigns to suggest it's okay in moderation, but I call BS.

I just avoid most processed foods altogether.  Preservatives are never good.

Jerze, I HATE that HFCS commercial!  They make it sound like the person using it is so well informed and that the person saying something against it is a total moron. 

For once, I wish that the person against it would just come out and say, "It's straight up SUGAR and it's going to stick to your ASS!"

Mary

I agree with Jerz, eat clean.  Not sure if you read my post the other day when you talked about this before.  Those tv dinners are loaded, not only with HFCS, but sodium.  I know you know all of this already, don't we all!  Live and learn I guess is the only way for all of us to figure out our bodies.  

I also agree with Jerz that maybe you should go strict with the book, and eat more carbs!  I really think that is half the problem alot of us face.  We want to lose weight so bad that we tend to go too low.  Then our body doesn't accept much else.  Your body needs it girl.

One more thing, I know you hate exercising, believe me I do too.  Our bodies seem to both not like losing weight much.  But I can tell you that this past week and a half of pushing myself exercising, has made a difference I think.  Whenever I weigh myself the next day or two I see the scale going down, and if I stop exercising and just eat right, the scale goes back up.  It might be time to get all the clothes off that new treadmill of yours.  Just a thought.  

The insight you have gotten thus far is awesome.  I'm just curious about the chocolate covered marshmallows, I didn't realize they don't have carbs?